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China Beats Taiwan in Baseball,
In Stinging Extra-Innings Upset

China won a politically charged Olympic baseball game against Taiwan in extra innings Friday with help from a new rule intended to bring the sport back to the Games in 2016.

Taiwan was considered a heavy favorite because of its passion for baseball and the professional players it provides to the U.S. and Japan. Tensions between the Olympic host nation and the island it considers a breakaway province raised the stakes for both sides.

Taiwan's Lin Che-Hsuan is tagged out at third by China's Sun Wei after trying to take an extra base on a throwing error in the third inning.
Associated Press

But Taiwan fell 8-7 in the 12th inning, a result greeted with grave disappointment there. Chang Shih-hsien, a political science researcher at Taiwan's Taipei College of Maritime Technology, called Friday "national humiliation day."

John Lee, a founder of a group of sports boosters called Taiwan Woo, said he might not watch the rest of the team's Olympic games. "The outcome might lead to a collapse of confidence, and Taiwan could lose in the rest of the matches," he said.

The game had been greatly anticipated in both Taiwan and the mainland. It comes as a new administration in Taiwan has pursued warmer relations with Beijing. But tensions had risen after China unsuccessfully pushed for Taiwan to participate as "China Taipei" rather than the customary "Chinese Taipei": Some in Taiwan said the slight change made Taiwan sound like part of China. And over the weekend, Beijing deported Mr. Lee and another member of Taiwan Woo. "I have felt the extra pressure over the match," Taiwan head coach Hung I-chung said in the days before the game.

Upset fans in Taipei watch the team's loss.
Associated Press

The two teams finished the ninth inning 3-3. Neither team scored in the 10th inning, and in the 11th a rule established this year was used for the first time in the Games: Each team would start with a runner on both first and second base, and each team can start at any point in its batting order. With help from that advantage, Taiwan pulled ahead 7-3 at the top of the 12th inning.

At the bottom of the 12th, China loaded the bases with a walk. A hit put the score at 7-4. Another walk left the score at 7-5. Then all three Chinese players scored on an error by Taiwan.

The new rule was adopted by the International Baseball Federation to speed up the game in hopes that it could return for the 2016 Olympics. Olympics officials had voted to drop baseball in 2012. Japan's baseball federation had opposed the rule, according to the Associated Press.

The new rule was used twice Friday. Cuba, winner of three of the sport's four gold medals since it became an Olympic event, beat the U.S. 5-4, also in extra innings. The U.S. Is the only other team to win a gold medal, in 2000.